In any injury affecting ambulation, balance, or general physical mobility of a patient it is the goal of physical therapy, and medicine in general, to contribute therapy and treatment to the patient in order to restore these abilities to the highest possible level with respect to the circumstances of age of the patient and the degree of injury sustained. This goal dictates a requirement for assessment of patient improvement during the course of therapy. Such assessment of patient improvement is necessary for both evaluation of the quality and kind of therapy as well as for justification to physicians and insurance providers of continuation of the course of therapy.
The ability to measure and document significant improvement in a patient versus de minimis changes in patient physical ability increasingly is becoming necessary for continuation of treatment protocols. In addition, the ability to objectively measure the various aspects of a patient's physical abilities during a course of treatment or healing of an injury can be utilized to detect patient adherence to the recommendations of the physical therapist or physician. Typically, when out of view of treating medical personnel, it is common for patients to neglect recommended therapies such as prescribed exercises or premature use of a healing limb. This can lead to delay in healing as well as further injury. Yet another area where objective data is useful is in the evaluation of work related injuries for determination of the degree of debilitation of the worker and consequently the evaluation of compensation due the worker.
Heretofore, evaluation of a patient during the term of treatment or analysis of patient debilitation largely has been unquantified. Subjective criteria for determination of patient status have been used by therapists and physicians. Typically, the patient will be observed during the course of a series of movements, and the general impressions of the evaluator will be noted and compared over time. Such observational evaluation can be skewed by many different factors such as patient adherence to treatment protocols, patient desire to be deemed fit for work, therapist desire for monetary gain from continued treatment, and even the personal relationship between patient and therapist.
Therefore, an objective method and apparatus for making quantifiable determinations of patient improvement is needed. Such a method and apparatus should permit collection of reproducible, objective data on patient ambulation, balance, and weight bearing status as well as proprioception in injured areas. The ability to objectively document patient status and improvement over a course of therapy can provide valuable information to the patient, the physician and therapist, and improvement in patient therapy by enabling concise communication between physician and therapist and identification of areas of patient progress versus injuries not responding to treatment.
The availability of objective measurements and data can permit development of consistent medical standards for use in determining whether patient improvement is small, but significant, indicating continuation of treatment, or insignificant indicating the treatment should be changed or discontinued. The availability of objective measurements and data can also be used to develop consistent medical standards for normal functionality and levels of functionality/disability. Such standards of medical evaluation can assist in allocation of medical resources to treatments of greatest utility and to those patients exhibiting more than marginal benefit from treatment.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of providing objective quantification of patient ambulation and the balance and weight bearing status during ambulation as well as to provide indication of proprioception status of injured areas;
Another object of the invention is to provide documentation of patient response to therapy for evaluation by physicians and physical therapists;
An object of the present invention is to provide a source of objective feedback to a patient as a means of demonstrating patient success in a course of therapy and to encourage the patient to sustain the course of therapy;
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a means of evaluating marginally successful treatments versus treatments providing substantial benefits for a patient;
Also, another object of the present invention is to provide a means of specific identification of patient difficulties during ambulation;
Another object of the present invention is to allow therapists and physicians to determine areas of patient improvement with respect to an injury versus aspects of the injury which are unresponsive to the course of treatment;
Yet another object of the present invention is to allow collection of objective data in order to establish and evaluate short term and long term goals with respect to a course of therapy;
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an objective measurement of patient adherence to therapy and to allow more accurate determination of appropriate patient discharge from therapy.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of this invention.